tbutler

I always forget to change the time on my cameras so the first set of pictures (sometimes more) will have the incorrect time every time we move from one time zone to another. The same applies when we go on or off DST. So much for the value of my photographs for evidence in court! At least my computer and cell phone get it right - no help from me!

Assuming that by applying the brakes you mean the service brakes, not the engine or exhaust brake. If the Brake Buddy is engaging when the engine brake engages, the Pontiac would be helping to stop the motor home. I don't know how these devices can tell when the service brakes are being used as opposed to the engine brake. As I understand their operation they are inertial and anything which is slowing the Pontiac will trigger the braking by the Brake Buddy. Have you tested the dash indicator to see if the brake buddy lights the indicator even when the coach brake pedal is not depressed? Another consideration would be to adjust the force the Brake Buddy exerts on the brake pedal. Assuming that there is an adjustment to be made, I would set it for less pressure or a shorter distance of travel. The adjustment could be a sensitivity setting. Setting it to be less sensitive would reduce the braking. If there is no adjustment, perhaps the unit is not functioning properly. If all else fails, you should have it checked by the factory to see if it is properly calibrated.

We don't live in California. I'm sure that some residents will fill in more detailed information. We have traveled the coast in the area around San Francisco and to the north to Eureka. The coast road scenery is spectacular. For the most, Highway 1 on the coast is not advised for large motor homes. You'll be better off traveling Highway 101 and taking the motorcycle on good weather days or the toad on rainy days. Highway 1 is the kind of road I love to cruise on a motorcycle. We did take a 38' motor home on Hwy 1 but I gave it up as soon as I could find a road to take us back to 101. That said, there are some nice campgrounds on Hwy 1. We stayed at a city campground in Watsonville, south of San Francisco. A really nice campground, it wasn't expensive and had great service. We stayed a week and rode our bicycles up and down the coast visiting coastal day parks. As you get further north, Highway 101 is the coast highway but it doesn't hug the coast like Hwy 1 until it reaches Oregon. We haven't traveled Hwy 101 into Oregon.

Or maybe you are a pilot? We fly in knots also...

We left our first motor home at a repair facility with strict instructions to keep it plugged in as the gas side of the refrigerator wouldn't always fire and stay on. As could be predicted, they didn't keep it plugged in and everything in the refrigerator and freezer melted down. They hired a clean-up agency to clean the refrigerator and freezer. A year later there was still a lingering smell from that incident. If it isn't the cooling agent, buy baking soda, lots of baking soda. It may take a long time to eliminate the smell.

Our bicycles also have headlight and taillights for nighttime use. We also have a bell on our bicycles though seldom have to use them except in the most crowded campgrounds. If you are walking in a campground at night, you should also be carrying a flashlight so you can be seen. Even with a good headlight, it is sometimes difficult to see walkers if they aren't carrying a light at night. Visibility is everyone's responsibility. No matter where you go, there will always be someone in a hurry and going too fast. I occasionally see someone in a golf cart zipping along at what must be full throttle. If you are walking dogs and can't maneuver fast with the dogs, you'll have to be extra watchful and listen carefully to try to anticipate traffic. Children have no sense of danger and should never be operating a motorized vehicle. Most parks prohibit children operating golf carts. If anyone sees children driving golf carts they should call the office to notify them of the problem. It might save someone else from being injured in an incident like described above. Unfortunately, the culture today makes children think they can drive anything. I have two grandsons, age 9 and 10. They both have motorized 4 wheelers. They are learning the hard way some of the hazards of these "toys." I only hope that they survive to adulthood.

Sorry to say that we won't be there. Almost 2 years ago we reserved a cabin on a cruise to Hawaii. When the convention starts on the 22nd we'll be on Kauai, taking a helicopter tour of the island! After that we'll be at sea through the duration of the convention. We'll be in San Diego on the 28th of March and will fly back to Texas from there! Have a great time... We'll try to think of you. HA-HA-HA

In the old days I would say it was a crack in the distributor cap, but I don't think modern engines have distributor caps! Somewhere there is likely a point in a spark plug wire with worn insulation which shorts when it gets wet. Next time you take it to the service center, take a hose and wash the engine down good so they are testing it when it's wet.

Brett is correct. We've traveled I-10 from CA to San Antonio numerous times and never had a problem. We routinely park at Wal-Marts or rest stops and have never encountered anything of concern. Anticipate heavy traffic through El Paso. I would try to travel through there at non-rush hour times or on weekends when traffic will be lighter. We drove I-40 from Oklahoma City to the California border and there really is no challenge there. I-40 has some long grades that require engine braking but it is a gentle introduction to mountain driving. If you come out of Las Vegas to I-70 into Denver, Colorado you will get the advanced course in mountain driving! Flagstaff is higher altitude and you may encounter some cold weather there in March. Snow could be a possibility but they work with it and keep the roads clear except in the worst of conditions. We came through in early April one year on our motorcycle and there was snow on the roadside but roads were clear when we came through. Take your time and enjoy the trip and the spectacular scenery!

There are some recommendations for the Grand Canyon area in this discussion topic from several months ago. Regarding Zion and Bryce Canyon, this discussion on parks in western Utah should help. Note in the discussion that you will not want to take your motor home on Highway 9 into the eastern entrance to Zion National Park. That entrance has a long curving tunnel which must be closed to opposing traffic if you want to go through. You have to drive the center of the road to get through it. They charge a fee for closing the opposing traffic for you. Plan to come in and stay on the western side or stay near Bryce and drive the toad through the tunnel.

We installed a steering centering device on our 1994 Monaco Dynasty. This device is basically a pair of strong springs or in some cases air cylinders which maintain the steering gear in the center position. They are only adjustable when the vehicle is stopped and then by loosening the bolts on the steering link to re-center. When you encounter strong winds, they will help keep the wheels centered but you may need to steer into the wind slightly. I looked at remotely adjustable systems and would have purchased them but they were so expensive that I couldn't justify the expense. The improvement in steering was noticeable with this system. I would have transferred it to our current coach but it wouldn't fit the heavier steering link of the new coach. As it turns out, the steering on our current coach is much better than the old coach. I do sometimes wish for an adjustable steering control to help with long drives on windy days.

Depending on where you plan to leave Colorado, the Denver to Cheyenne route is I-25. It is much improved from several years ago still you will find some thumpty-thump sections and plenty of traffic. If you are coming out of western Colorado I'd head north to I-80 and come across I-80 which is a much easier route east than I-70. From Cheyenne, continue north on I-25 to US Hwy 18 which goes east then north to US Hwy 85 and on to US Hwy 16 to Rapid City. On US 16 at Custer is the Crazy Horse Monument being carved (blasted) out of stone. There is a great museum there also. We have hiked up onto the Crazy Horse statue with Volksmarch on two separate occasions. They sponsor a walk onto the outstretched arm of Crazy Horse each spring. Don't miss that if your schedule allows. While in the area, be sure to see Custer State Park for the bison. The Black Hills have many opportunities for hiking and fishing. You'll be a short drive from Badlands National Park and that is something not to be missed though it can be intolerably hot in the summer. Wind Cave National Park just south of Custer State Park is also a great cave adventure and Jewel Cave National Monument to west of Custer is also interesting. There is a great excavation site at Hot Springs, SD that has mammoth bones exposed in their position where found and a nice museum to go with it. There are many interesting things to see and do in Rapid City and Sturgis is just north of Rapid City but don't go there during the Motorcycle Rally unless you really like crowds of motorcycle riders and their fans! We stayed at the Custer/Crazy Horse RV Park just east of Custer on SD 16 Alt. That was in 2004! We found the park to be quite adequate and it was within a days touring of all the things listed above. We haven't stayed in the immediate vicinity of the Badlands so don't have a recommendation there.

Part of fuel mileage is just simple physics. The amount of energy in a gallon of gas or diesel is a set quantity and it has the capability to move any given mass a given distance. Increase the energy in the fuel and it will take you further. Decrease the mass and the fuel will take you further. Compare the mass of that Lincoln Towncar with the mass of your motor home. The diesel engine in a motor home is really doing a pretty good job of getting good fuel mileage to haul your 20, 30 or 50 thousand pound coach down the road. Engines can be made more efficient. That is they can convert more of the energy to motion. Transmissions and differentials take a percentage of the energy out before the motion reaches the wheels. These too can be made more efficient. Vehicles can be designed to move through the air more efficiently thus reducing the air resistance and increasing fuel efficiency. With a given coach, you have control of the total weight of the coach. You can reduce the materials you carry with you and keep fluids like fresh water and waste water to a minimum when traveling. The lighter your coach, the better the fuel mileage. Finally, how you drive your vehicle makes a huge difference in your fuel mileage. Many drivers waste energy by speeding up quickly then using the brakes to stop as opposed to planning ahead and allowing the vehicle to slow down on its own as you coast up to a light or stop sign. We had an extensive discussion about improving fuel mileage that may be of interest to you. I think you'll find many useful suggestions for improving fuel mileage with your coach in that discussion. Does adding hydrogen to diesel increase the fuel mileage? I have no idea. How do you keep the hydrogen a gas suspended in the fuel? Hydrogen is a fuel that is capable of taking astronauts to the moon but can it be made to work efficiently in a diesel engine? How much energy does the hydrogen generator require for operation? It will require the same amount of energy to generate the hydrogen as you get from it when it is burned in the engine. This also is simple physics. There is no magical way to make energy. I'd be very skeptical of anyone who claims they can double the fuel mileage of any vehicle without significantly altering the engine, transmission, differential, tires and weight of the coach.

As full timers, you may meet someone in a park where you are staying who could build a slide out for your compartment. Any time you are in a park for an extended time, check with management, post a note on a bulletin board or just talk to people. It may be a fellow camper or it may be a local cabinet maker that the management or another camper may recommend. If you don't find it at your current campground, keep trying and you'll find some talented individual who can whip up a slide out for your cabinet. I've seen numerous RV's that have a wooden rack with a lip to keep containers on the shelf that slides out of such cabinets. I believe most RV manufacturers have their own cabinet shops since their cabinets are usually custom manufactured for their particular application. I'll be surprised if you can find an "off the shelf" item that fits your cabinet.

Welcome Pam and Kate! Reading your itinerary for the summer looks a lot like the kind of places we love to travel and see. I'd suggest a couple of other areas that might be of interest. From the gold hills, you may want to go to Lassen National Park where you can climb to the summit of the last volcano in the 48 states to erupt before Mt. St. Helens. It's about a 2 hour walk up and worth the climb. After the climb you can visit the gift shop and buy an "I climbed the volcano" T-shirt or bumper sticker. If Craters of the Moon interests you then you might be interested in Lava Beds National Monument in NE California. There are lots of lava tubes to be explored there just as in Craters of the Moon. We also enjoyed the John Day Fossil Beds in eastern Oregon. Then from there you aren't too far from Craters of the Moon. Enjoy your travels!

We've been on the road almost 9 years in a 38 foot coach to start and now a 40 foot coach. We stay in inexpensive parks and find that most are able to accommodate a 40 foot coach with no problem. You will find more difficulty finding 50 amps for full power for your coach than finding room for it. The sites your coach will fit into will likely cost a few dollars more than the sites for smaller coaches and 50 amp service is always a premium cost. Our coach has two slides and we had no problem finding sites even in Alaska. If you get a copy of Trailer Life or Woodall's Campground Directory, you can page through it and see for yourself how many parks have accommodations for a 40 foot coach.

To answer your question about the life of the tires on your new Damon. There is a discussion topic on tire age that has information on how to read the date of manufacture on your tires. Every tire and safety expert I have heard or read says seven years is the life of a tire. After that, the tire becomes unsafe. Check the date of manufacture stamped on your tires and you will know how old they are and when they will need to be replaced. This advice/information also applies to "brand new tires" you purchase at a tire shop. The seven years start at the factory. If the tires have set on the shelf at the dealer for a year, they have six remaining good years of use in them. Check the "new tires" you get to be sure they are "new." It isn't so much damage to the tires as it is aging of the material in the tire that is getting them from time of manufacture on. Once manufactured they begin to slowly lose strength.

On our steps the switches are pretty easy to pick out as there are wires that run to them. You might have to look carefully for cable runs but there should be wires running to the switches. An examination of them will let you know which signals the stop point for the close and which is for the open limit.

We have stayed at Hospitality Woods Campground on several occasions. Like Timberland Acres, it is also on Route 3 south of Ellsworth. Sites are among trees and most are reasonably level. Rates are reasonable and they have full hookups w/ 50/30A available. We would stay there again if are in the area.

Amby, Thanks for the follow up. I think it really helps all of us to learn what you did and how it worked for you. I hadn't thought about using Armourall on the awnings. I'll have to give that a test!

My question would be how prudent is it to plug a 30 amp coach into a 50 amp circuit? My point being that the protection on the circuit is a 50 amp breaker, not a 30 amp breaker. As a matter of electrical code, all the electrical wiring on any circuit should be sufficient to carry the load of the circuit breaker for that circuit. You would never use anything less than a #12 wire on a 20A circuit. You would never use anything less than a #10 wire on a 30A circuit. You would never use less than a #6 wire on a 50A circuit. If there is some kind of leakage in current, the breaker won't trip until 50 amps is reached as opposed to a 30 amp limit on a 30 amp circuit. The power cord on the 30 amp coach is rated for 30 amps but the breaker won't cut off the current until the amperage reaches 50 amps. This sounds like a dangerous situation that at the least could cause damage to the power supply cord of the coach. If there is a 30 amp main in the coach, then the only wiring at risk would be the shore cord and any wiring between that and the 30 amp main. Still, I would want a portable 30 amp breaker to plug in at the park outlet.

PABEAV56 Your KVH LF/LS may be a dish model similar to the original one on our coach. We had to have a low speed data port on the receiver and none of the modern receivers would work with it. We had to use an old Hughes Executive Director with that dish. If that is the case for you, I have the old receiver, it still worked when I took it out last summer. You should call KVH and talk to them. I checked the web site for KVH and they list the phone number, address and a link to on-line support on that page. Have all your information about the dish and receiver and contact them by whatever means you want. I think you'll find some good help there. Contact me if you need the old Hughes Executive Director.

So the connection between the satellite receiver and the TV is good. That simplifies things considerably. Now the focus has to be the DirecTV box and the set-up process. After you do the shut-down, unplug and restart procedure, try to see if you can get it set up satisfactorily. If not, I would call DirecTV customer service and ask them for assistance in getting the DirecTV receiver set up properly. In the meantime, if we are to continue to help, we need to know what KVH dish you are working with and what DirecTV receiver you have. Are you getting an indication of the satellite identification? If you have standard service you should likely be on satellite 101.

How are you able to assess the good signal strength from the dish? Are you reading that signal strength on the TV or with another instrument? If reading the signal with another instrument, are you sure you are reading signal from the proper satellite? There could also be set-up issues with the DTV satellite box. If you can't get the DTV menu on your TV then you have to solve that problem first. If you are reading the signal from the DTV box on the television screen, you should be able to get picture. It might be that your DTV box isn't properly "authorized" by DirecTV. The first thing to try would be to turn off the box and unplug it for a minute or so to reset the memory. Then plug in the DTV box and turn it on. If you still don't have picture, call customer service and they can direct you through a reset process. If you aren't getting your signal strength reading on your TV screen, your problem could just be a matter of getting the signal from the DTV box to the TV set. Assuming that all the cables are properly connected, there are several things that could be the problem. Most RV's have a video distribution switch box between the Satellite (DTV) box and the TV set. If you have a video distribution switch box and you get broadcast TV then you should be able to select the satellite switch (button) and get satellite signal. You must make sure that the selection on that box is set for satellite for the TV you are using. The other selection is on the TV menu, usually titled input. You need to set the input to pick up the signal from the video distribution switch box. Once that is set, you choose your inputs through the video distribution switch box. If you are getting broadcast signals from the video distribution switch box to the TV then the TV input should be set properly. There is only one cable from the video distribution switch box to the TV so all signals will come through that one cable. Having said all of the above, I recently installed a flat screen TV in our rig and have wired around the video distribution switch box for the incoming satellite signal. If you have a used coach, you may have to begin to dig your way to the rear of each of the components so you can trace wiring. Let us know what from above you have tried and what results you got and then we can offer more suggestions if it doesn't solve the problem.

Seajay, Good to see you back on board! The only help I can add is that there is a phone number on the electronic water heater service manual on the Atwood web site. The service manual is for different model numbers than yours but does cover both 6 and 10 gallon water heaters. I would guess that if you called Atwood at the phone number on this manual, you could get some answers about your water heater. The manual displays two pages side by side so you have to scroll over to the right to get to the front page with the phone numbers.